


Witchcraft Season

by KhanaSukre



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Autumn, Awkwardness, Bad Cooking, Chaotic Dumbass Writer, Cooking?, Dark Magic, Distrust, Gen, Lack of Communication, OOC, Other characters added as the story goes, Plot Twist, Secrets, Stalking?, Still sweet though, Unnecessarily ominous, Witchcraft, it means no angst, mention of smoking, no beta we die like idiots, potion making, so many headcanons, spooky season, this would be finished in like ten words if they just talked
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KhanaSukre/pseuds/KhanaSukre
Summary: It's a surprisingly warm day of autumn in Moominvalley. The Moomins are just relaxing and enjoying the sun but... Moomintroll's best friend is acting more secretive and evasive as usual...It might be nothing, but in this season, who knows?
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. A Lovely Autumn Day

It was a lovely autumn day in Moominvalley. Summer was definitely over by now. Yet the inhabitants of the region could be graced by a warm day from time to time. Today was such a day. A few bugs and birds could be seen flying around lazily. Red, brown and golden leaves seemed to be shining with an uncovered sun. Everyone had removed the few layers of clothing they were getting used to add for the cooling weather.

The Moomin family spent their morning enjoying the warmth outside. Moominpappa was reading the newspaper in the verandah in company of Moominmamma. She was knitting a soft blanket to put in the bathhouse. After she was informed by Moomintroll and Little My that a number of people used the bathhouse in the winter, she decided -in her seemingly infinite kindness- that she should pack it with a bit more supplies for a cold weather. She absolutely didn't mind people using the place since it was left abandoned for that time of year. But she couldn't bear the idea of poor creatures freezing! After all, they could kind of be considered guests and, even closed, the bathhouse was still not meant to keep all of the cold outside. So here she was, knitting next to Moominpappa, while glancing at the children from time to time.

Speaking of them, Moomintroll and Little My were currently having fun with a little game of their own invention. One had to try and make the other guess what they were drawing on the ground using twigs, leaves, rocks and other pieces of nature that tended to aggregate during this season. From what she could tell, Little My seemed to be winning at the guessing game (or was Moomin winning at the drawing game?).

It was such nice weather, Moominpappa thought, looking up from his reading. He turned to his busy wife.

“Dear, do you think we could organize a little lunch outside today? The weather is quite pleasant. And I think it'll probably be the last occasion we have before next spring.”

“Oh, what a wonderful idea, Moominpappa!” She answered, smiling gently. “We could invite the Snork siblings as well, and maybe the Hemulen?”

She called her son and Little My over. “Moominpappa had the great idea to suggest having lunch outside today. While we prepare meals, could you go find your friends and ask if they would be up for it? I trust you to ask others if you find them on the way… It'll probably be the last time we have such an occasion before hibernating. Oh, and if you see Too-Ticky, tell her to come over as well!”

Moomin smiled brightly at her and answered: “Will do Mamma!”, the little mymble frowned a bit less and saluted: “Ay, ay, Cap'n Mamma!”, and they ran off.

* * *

The children started off immediately for the bridge. They noticed their friend Snufkin wasn't by his tent, but Little My didn't slow down and called over her shoulder to Moomintroll: “We'll find him on the way back! He’s probably fishing somewhere else!” Moomin agreed with a nod and quickened his pace. It wasn't too unnatural for his best friend to be off elsewhere. In the meantime, they set off for the Snorks’ house.

While walking happily to their destination, they crossed the path of the old Hemulen. He was hunched over some small flowers, muttering about the persistence of the leaves and whatnot. Moomin slowed down when he reached his level. Then, he cleared his throat to get noticed. After the Hemulen blinked up at him, they exchanged courtesies and Moomin suggested he came over to Moominhouse for lunch. After pondering briefly, the old man declined and explained that such a warm weather for the season might help some rare autumn flowers bloom. The children understood and said their goodbyes, adding that they’d come visit to see if he found some rare specimens.  
  
After a bit more walking, they arrived at the Snorks’ house. They, again, shared the usual ‘Hello, how are you?’s. Well, Moomin did and Little My jumped in, going straight to the point and telling them to tag along. Seeing the inquiring gaze Snorkmaiden gave the little mymble, Moomin explained more fully: 

“Mamma suggested you and your brother came over to have lunch with us! We still have to ask others to join though…”

Snorkmaiden beamed at that. She answered:  
  
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss Mamma’s cooking for the world!” She paused. “Snork is still a bit busy, but I’m almost certain I can convince him to take a break and join us. We can meet at Moominhouse, and in the meantime you can keep asking around!”

“That’s a great idea, Snorkmaiden!” Moomintroll smiled. Little My rolled her eyes.

With that, Moomin and the mymble set off. They knew they would probably find who they were looking for on the way back, but they still went to the beach in the hopes that they would find Too-Ticky.

Fortunately for them, they saw her returning from the jetty. Moomin waved at her in the distance to make her notice and wait for them. She stopped in her tracks and watched them come closer with her patient and calm eyes.

“Hello, Too-Ticky! How are you?” said Moomin, slightly out of breath from running the rest of the way towards her.

“Hello Moomintroll, I am good, thank you. This weather is lovely... How are you and your parents? And what about you Little My?” she added when the mentioned one tried to climb in Too-Ticky’s basket, thinking she would go unnoticed.

“We're good, thank you!” Moomin replied with a grin. “Thanks to the weather, my mother is planning a lunch outside, today. Would you like to join us?”

Too-Ticky put her basket down since it was becoming a tad heavy with Little My in it. Then, smiling with a hint of guilt, she said:

“That is very kind of you to offer. Unfortunately, I have to get some supplies in the bathhouse for this winter. If autumn can get warmer, I have no doubt winter will get colder for the shrews.”

They both ignored Little My’s half-whispered shout “This doesn't make any sense!”

Then, Moomin remembered what his mother told him:

“Speaking of supplies for the bathhouse, Mamma wanted to talk to you about it. I think she wants to give you and the invisible shrews some help? Can you maybe come by Moominhouse later?”

Too-Ticky smiled gently. “That is a sweet gesture. I'll come by then. Tell Moominmamma I'll drop by for a cup of coffee in a few hours.”

With that, Moomin and Little My set off once more. The latter was getting restless with boredom and had set out to chase Moomintroll’s tail with a stick, trying to tap it lightly. This made the young troll hasten up his strides towards their home.

As they guessed, they found Sniff on their way back. Their friend seemed to always be around when Moominmamma was cooking for a special occasion. Needless to say, he agreed with joy to join them for lunch.

However, upon reaching the stream in front of Moominhouse, Moomin noticed that Snufkin was still nowhere to be found. Little My recognized the wrinkle in Moomin’s brow, and crossed her arms. She grumbled loudly:

“Oh come on, Moomin! You know he didn't leave. Look!”

She approached the campsite of the mumrik. 

“He wouldn't leave for an adventure without his tent at least. And here’s his fishing rod, so he’s not even far enough to have gone fishing… Snufkin is probably playing music or napping somewhere, Moomintroll. Stop being stupid and worrying so much!”

Moomin seemed slightly suspicious at first. But he finally admitted to himself that Little My’s arguments were pretty convincing. He put a paw to his chin. Knowing his friend and taking Little My’s points into account… He could think of a few places his friend might have gone to. He told the others to go ahead of him and go to the house while he went looking.

Little My rolled her eyes, then Sniff and her left to help set a table in the garden of the Moomins.

Moomin wasted no time and made a beeline for the side of the stream that was across the bridge. He knew of a nice willow tree in the lower part of the brook and thought it could offer a lovely shade this time of day.

He started to trot along the stream. It wasn't more than a few minutes until the sight of the tree and a few rocks came into view. And with them, he was happy to notice a familiar green pointed hat on the other side of the tree trunk.

Yet, the closer he got, the stranger it seemed. Because Moomin could now see that his friend wasn't laying down as if sleeping, nor could he hear the peculiar sound of his harmonica. He came closer, still with a lively step, to see that Snufkin looked hunched over; seemingly examining something in his lap.

Moomin finally arrived close enough to call out to the mumrik.

“Hello, Snufkin!”

Upon hearing the not-quite-yell yet above-speaking-volume greeting, Snufkin whipped his head around and took what he had in his lap (it looked very much like a book in Moomin’s opinion) and put it in his right smock pocket.

“Hi. What are you doing around here? Enjoying the weather?” he smiled underneath his large-brimmed hat.

“Yes, very much! Little My and I spent all morning in the garden. And I was looking for you actually. Mamma made lunch to eat outside today, would you like to join us? Snorkmaiden and Sniff and maybe Snork will be there as well. Oh, but you look a bit busy. It’s okay, you can come later! Or not if you really have to do what you are doing. And-”

He cut himself short. His still sitting friend was looking up at him, unmoving. His slow blinking made Moomin realize that he was speaking without stopping or giving a chance for the other to even answer the questions he asked. So he closed his mouth, grabbed one of his elbows with his other paw and asked.

“So, hum... Would you like to join us?”

Snufkin lifted the brim of his hat with a smile after a pause.

“Yes, I would quite like that, Moomin.”

He then placed a paw on the grass to help lift himself up while the other went to his pocket, making sure his book (Moomin was certain it was one) was secured in it.

“Shall we go then?” the mumrik asked, dusting off his smock.

Moomin nodded and led the way. They strolled mostly in silence since they were not far from Moominhouse. Although they made sure to make a quick trip across the bridge so that Snufkin could take his harmonica.

For the children, the end of the morning was spent helping Moominmamma out with the dishes she prepared, or Moominpappa with setting the large table outside.

Around the time when Moomintroll was setting the cutlery, Snorkmaiden arrived with her sibling led by one paw, while she carried a basket in the other. Moominmamma came out of the kitchen to greet them, and Snorkmaiden offered the basket, filled with chestnut muffins she had made for lunch. Moominmamma thanked them, both for the treat and sharing the meal with them.

The weather was still pleasant and Moomin sighed contentedly to himself while he was arranging different meals around the table. It seemed as if nothing could go wrong.


	2. Rude Assumptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little My plays detective, Sniff is in for the food, Moomintroll is oblivious or just very trusting and Moominmamma is the sweetest one, change my mind.

A few minutes later, and the Moomin family and their friends sat around a wooden table without the shade of autumn clouds, enjoying each other’s company and meals cooked by Moominmamma’s talent.

While some of them (mostly Sniff and Little My), enjoyed desserts including Snorkmaiden’s pastries, Snufkin got out of his chair and went to sit on the verandah’s stairs. He pulled out his music instrument and began to play. The others relaxed in amiable conversations, speaking just at the right volume to be able to keep listening to the song. At some point, Little My started to knock two spoons against each other in an attempt to quicken the song’s rhythm by adding some percussions. Snufkin gave her an amused glance, and accepted the unsaid challenge by changing the tone of his playing. The music began hopping with life and joy, and soon, all the younger creatures were dancing with energy or had joined the improvised percussions group.

But they tired quite soon, for you should not exercise right after eating. And Moominmamma took it as a cue to take the dirty and empty dishes back inside to wash them.

Moomin was just lifting his head off the ground as he had simply laid down on the soft grass after dancing so much. He watched his mom go back inside, accompanied by Snufkin moments later, from the corner of his eye, before laying down again. He was still a bit out of breath and the ground was warm thanks to the sun’s gentle touch. He could almost nap here.

He started to doze off when he felt something poke his side and a few seconds later, a weight landed against the same spot. He opened one eye to notice Little My, who had claimed his stomach as an improvised pillow. She was light enough that Moomin didn't push her. They laid like that for a moment until he spoke, having both his eyes closed again:

“It was nice to dance a bit. We usually don't have the opportunity in autumn because it’s too cold!”

“Yeah. I'm surprised Snufkin played his harmonica again.”

“What do you mean 'again', Little My?”

“He usually doesn't play twice a day with an audience, right?”

“Yes, I know that.” said Moomintroll, cracking his eyelids open, but only a fraction because of the shining rays of sun. “But what makes you say he played earlier?”

It was Little My’s turn to open her eyes. She leaned on her side to face him.

“Well. I just assumed it was what he was off doing until you found him.”

Moomin relaxed and closed his eyes again.

“Haha! No, Little My. And he wasn't napping either! I found him under a tree. He was reading I think.”

He felt the weight against his side vanish completely and he leaned on his elbows to gaze at the young mymble. She was sitting with an unbelieving frown on her face. She dead-panned:

“Snufkin doesn't read.”

* * *

Inside the kitchen, Moominmamma had started washing the few plates used in the lovely lunch they had. She was still lightly humming the music the children had just been playing. They had stopped minutes ago, but the tune was just as joyful as the weather, so she couldn't help herself. Although, her humming was light enough that she heard the door leading to the verandah open.

She didn't need to turn around to guess who was making his way towards her. As the sound of his booted feet strolling was quite different from Little My quick steps. And they were the only two to wear shoes all the time. She called:

“Snufkin, is that you?” because she could be wrong after all, and it would be pretty rude to assume one’s identity based on the sound of their feet. “If you're looking for me, I'm in the kitchen.”

The footsteps stopped a second before coming her way. And sure enough, the sight of a green smock appeared in her peripheral vision soon after. Snufkin spoke.

“Moominmamma. I brought the rest of the plates. Do you need some help washing them?”

“Oh, thank you very much, dear. Well if you don't mind, I'd at least enjoy the company. Can you take care of cleaning them while I wash them off of soap and dry them?”

He nodded politely and approached the sink, rolling up his sleeves. They worked in a slightly erratic manner at first but soon managed to adapt their rhythm to the other. They were approaching the end of the task when, leaning over the sink and watching out of the window, Moominmamma noticed Too-Ticky’s figure coming near Moominhouse.

She gently rubbed her wet paws on a cloth to dry them. She then turned to go out and greet the new guest. Snufkin had noticed her as well but didn't move from his post over the sink. Moominmamma asked him before leaving the room:

“Do you mind finishing without me? I'll go outside to greet Too-Ticky if you need me.”

Snufkin didn't stop his task and chuckled good-heartedly:

“I'll be sure to remember, Moominmamma. Although, I doubt these last plates will give me much of a trouble. Go on ahead, I'll join you all in a moment.”

“Very well, dear.”

She didn't see him, but Snufkin paused for a second in the middle of a scrubbing motion, blinked a few times as he recalled something. He spoke quickly:

“Oh! Actually, can you wait for just a second, please? I wanted to ask you something…”

Moominmamma turned fully around, curiosity in her kind eyes.

* * *

Moomintroll laughed a long moment before he noticed Little My’s scowl deepening. They were now both sitting on the ground. He said between giggles:

“Of course he does, Little My! Where do you think he learnt all the stories he told us?”

The mymble crossed her arms. She wasn't joining the other’s laughing.

“I don't know! He probably heard them on his adventures or made them up. But I am sure he doesn't read.”

Moomin’s chuckles died down as he seemed to understand what Little My actually meant by that. He frowned.

“Now, Little My. It’s rude to say that someone can't read when it’s not true. Why would you say that?”

She stood up, impatience hardening her facial features and put her gloved fists on her hips. Moomin was still sitting, making her gaze down at him slightly.

“That’s not what I said, Moomin! I know he can read!” Although, she had been secretly quite surprised, at the time, when Snufkin had read the Park’s signs that were too high for her to read. She had always assumed that he had never learnt how to because of travelling alone for most of his life. Which would have been fine. It wasn't uncommon for the region’s folks to have trouble reading. Especially for mumriks. But Little My was distracting herself in her musing and came back to the problem itself.

“Look. We all know Snufkin well, Moomin. Surely you out of all of us must have noticed that he always carries the bare necessities. He might borrow a book for his travels in winter. But I never saw him reading a book while he’s in Moominvalley. And I've hidden in his backpack multiple times. I'm sure of what I'm saying!”

All the time Little My had been exposing her statement, Moomin’s face went from confusion to annoyance for the mymble’s rudeness. He pondered to himself that yes. It was unusual behaviour for his best friend. But today was unusual for its lovely weather. And Snufkin was an unusual fellow (not strange mind you), and he could have hobbies Moomin didn't know about! 

It was fine. And the little troll relaxed and decided to let Little My amuse herself with her far fetched conspiracies that led nowhere except to rude assumptions.

He started to stand back up at the sound of footsteps coming their way. Dusting his legs off of little bits of grass he glanced without heat (but also without much interest) to Little My.

“Whatever you say, My. But I don't think you should bother with such a small detail. So what if he was reading a book in autumn? He has the right to!”

Too-Ticky waved in their direction as she was getting closer. Moomin started to come her way in greetings but added to Little My, as an afterthought:

“Also don't go hiding into other people’s packs. That’s impolite!”

The mymble was answering in an immature manner but Moomin had already strolled too far to hear her…

* * *

Sniff was seated at the table, nibbling on a pear. Like Snorkmaiden, Moomintroll and Little My, their improvised dance had left him wheezing on the grass for more than a few seconds. Although, unlike the other three, he found enough strength left in him to get up and go eat a snack after a while.

He watched from his spot at the table his two friends: Moomintroll and Little My argue over something silly (he was too far to listen to it all, but their arguments were usually quite silly). There was also Snorkmaiden, still laid on the ground and probably napping. Moominpappa and Snork were talking about very serious (and difficult to understand) matters on another side of the table. It was indeed very calm and a pleasant atmosphere to eat!

Then, Too-Ticky arrived, and Moominmamma came out of the house to greet her and invite her for a cup of coffee under the verandah instead of the table outside. For the newcomer had apparently very sensitive skin and could get sunburnt under this lovely weather. Which meant for Sniff that he still had a lot of space to himself!

Moomintroll eventually left Little My to greet Too-Ticky as well. Sniff waved at her when she noticed him, crossing the garden. He didn’t bother standing because he was busy thinking of an adventure they could all go together. Or at least some other activity that he could make money out of.

That’s when Snufkin went out of Moominhouse (Sniff hadn’t noticed him go in). He was carrying a small basket that was clearly a belonging of the Moomins household. The fact intrigued Sniff, so he called the other over. The mumrik came closer with his slow and calm paces, his half-lidded gaze hiding a hint of curiosity towards Sniff.

“Yes, Sniff?”

“What are you carrying in that basket? Is it a treasure?”

The abrupt conjecture made Snufkin jerk his shoulders in a burst of huff-like laughter. He replied:

“No, Sniff. It’s not a treasure. I asked Moominmamma if I could borrow something from her and she insisted to put it in a basket.” He watched Sniff’s expression change for a fraction of a second before adding: “And no, it’s not something to eat either.”

Sniff felt a little disappointed -alright, very disappointed- by the dull exchange. It made him totally ignore the fact that his original question about the contents of the basket had been dodged. But his attention was already fixed on something else when Snufkin made a move to leave.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“I’ll take this (he lifted the basket slightly, it was covered by a cloth) to my campsite. Then, I’ll probably go fishing by the sea.”

“Ooh, I’d like to go have fun to the beach! Can we come with you?”

Snufkin nodded. “You can go wherever you like, Sniff. I’ll just fish a bit farther from you, in a silent spot, as to be able to catch something.” And with a tip of his hat, he strolled away.

Sniff pouted a bit at the implication that he may be loud enough to scare off fish. He thought it was quite silly as fish clearly had no ears (Sniff himself had a noticeable pair of those so he knew what he was talking about). And he was not nearly as loud as Little My, so there was no point for the mumrik to be passive-aggressive.

At the very least he didn’t mean to be, in the narrator’s opinion. But Sniff took it as much, as he tended to get a little easily huffy. Sniff had crossed his arms in his sulking when Little My approached him. She hopped on the table next to him and asked:

“Where is Snufkin going? Did he tell you?”

“He’s going fishing at the sea, “in a silent spot”.” He quoted in a flat tone.

“Wow alright. How did that get your tail in a knot, Sniff?”

“I don’t have my tail in a knot!”

“Does too! But anyway, what was he carrying in that basket?”

That, at least, had the effect of completely evaporating Sniff’s bad mood. They usually weren’t long to begin with.

“I… don’t know actually. I asked him but he didn’t answer.”

“What? That’s so weird…”

Sniff shrugged. “A little? But it’s probably not interesting enough for me. Why do you think it’s weird, Little My?”

The mymble was looking too much taken aback. It didn’t sit well with Sniff. It looked like she was on to something but wasn’t sharing!

She lifted her head with a paw to her chin in pondering. She seemed to consider if Sniff was worthy of sharing what she was mulling over with. Apparently, it was the positive when she spoke again.

“Well, I was just talking to Moomintroll, and he told me he found Snufkin _reading_. He didn’t listen to me but I tell you, Sniff! This is very strange! And he avoided telling you what he was carrying? That’s so suspicious!”

It wouldn’t seem much to an outsider. But Sniff and Little My had known their friend for seasons. He was wise with his advice and seemed to have complicated matters in his mind. But in his actions, he was very simple and enjoyed little things. He wasn’t one to keep secrets… Was he?

The tiny troublemakers agreed to get to the bottom of all this.


	3. Sea-nanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to actually investigate! What even is going on? Surely not something too drastic, right?

Later on, while the sun was still at its zenith, the group of children set off for the beach. The group included Moomintroll, Snorkmaiden, Snufkin, Sniff and Little My. In the forest, the last two were walking further back, plotting new mischief in secret. Moomin was the closest to them and was shooting them frustrated glances every once in a while, because he could hear their suspicious whispers but could not quite make out any words.

At some point, he started walking at a slower pace and soon was walking in step with them, Snorkmaiden and Snufkin well ahead, unaware of the shenanigans happening behind. As he did so, Sniff and Little My stopped talking and all three walked in silence. Until Moomin broke said silence in a hushed question.

“What were you talking about?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Moomin.” said Little My with a roll of her eyes and yet with an amused grin.

“Oh please, tell me! Is it a secret? I promise not to snitch!”

The other two shared a knowing look at the word “secret”, and My nodded at Sniff to explain.

“Say, Moomin…” he said. “Do you know what kind of book Snufkin was reading when you found him?”

The addressed one narrowed his eyes. He had no memory of sharing this part of his morning with Sniff. He assumed Little My would have told him. Now, why would she do such a…

“Oh no… Little My!” He turned to her with a scowl. “You told Sniff about your weird conspiracies? What’s gotten into you?”

“Hey! You’re the one who’s too naive to see that something is fishy!”

“I am not naive! And nothing’s fishy!”

“Except fish itself, I suppose.” a warm and calm voice cut in. Although it was warm and calm, all the arguing creatures jumped in the air upon hearing it. They all turned to its belonger, Snufkin, who like Snorkmaiden had stopped on the side of the path when he had noticed the others falling behind.

All five froze for a few seconds. The three conspirators because they didn’t know how much he had heard... and maybe in embarrassment at being caught. Snufkin because he hadn’t expected such a reaction at his input. And Snorkmaiden because she had heard nothing, and couldn’t for the life of her figure out what was going on. She was the first to speak up:

“Wh… What is happening, here?”

Moomin felt a bit silly and guilty at the whole situation. He guessed it was his responsibility that Little My had led to such a predicament. If he was being honest, he more or less agreed with her and Sniff's suspicions. Snufkin’s behaviour was unusual (Moomin too had noticed the covered up basket), more so than what they were used to at least. But he was their friend, and if he seemed to be acting differently, then there was probably a reason. But their mistrust was unhealthy and Moomin knew that they should talk about it instead of assuming things. This reasoning led him to answer Snorkmaiden’s question.

“Ah, er… Sorry for falling behind. We were talking about stories.”

Little My and Sniff shot him looks that conveyed an incredible panel of emotions at seeing him lie. Among them, there were disbelief, amusement and wariness.

Because, well. He was lying. Moomin could feel a still very self-conscious part of himself that couldn't believe the three of them would think so much over a book or a basket. Also, he had an idea on how to clear up any suspicions without openly admitting was they were actually talking about. He added:

“I was telling Little My and Sniff of a story I read. It was such a fun book!”

Sniff was nodding wildly and the mymble was looking elsewhere. It looked suspicious but Snorkmaiden seemed to buy it. Snufkin was eyeing them without showing much mistrust. Moomin turned to him with a smile as innocent as he could.

“And I remembered you reading one this morning, Snufkin. I was wondering what the story was about!”

Suddenly, all eyes turned to the mumrik, more or less impatiently. He slowly scanned their faces, probably because he did not expect to become the centre of the conversation. He put his paws in his smock pockets, just as slowly.

Moomin was holding his breath despite himself. No, he thought. I'm just being curious about my closed-off friend’s activities. I am not worried about it. He denied to himself.

But…

“There was no story.”

There was a beat of silence. Snufkin smiled. Turned around. And walked away towards their destination. All remaining four stayed behind. In stunned stillness.

“Is it me, or was that really weird?” said Snorkmaiden.

* * *

When they arrived at the beach, Snufkin was nowhere to be seen. The fact wasn’t out of the ordinary but the children were still worried. Snorkmaiden had caught up with the whole ordeal with Moomintroll, joined by Little My and Sniff who added their point of view.

It was now undeniable that something was going on. Everyone started sharing their ideas and suspicions, their concerns and their disapproval, in a vibrant cacophony of a group of small creatures, chattering in a fine autumn day at the beach.

Little My was the one who had the most to say. She kept repeating the multiple ‘pieces of evidence’ they had as she put it. The most obvious facts everyone agreed with were left for little details. But Moomin thought the latest statements were induced by the girl’s paranoia. She also was very vocal about how it was only a matter of time that someone as taciturn as Snufkin would start to tell lies to them. 

Sniff tended to agree with her. But it only showed through his natural layer of fear above all. He was mostly concerned with the why and what consequences everything would have on him.

Snorkmaiden was still catching up. Her multiple hypotheses were generally understanding towards the mumrik. Maybe he was sick? Or he was planning a journey? She didn’t sound as sure as the other two. But it was just because she didn’t witness most of the strange moments. She wasn’t affirming or denying anything.

Moomin kept mostly to himself, except to hush My when she was being too abrasive in his opinion towards his best friend. He was trying to deny the little oddities to himself. But the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. To avoid questions as he had for the book or the basket, Snufkin must have been hiding something. The questions the little troll was left to ask himself were: what? What was he hiding from them all? and more worrying: why?

The mumrik was a wanderer and a loner. That much was obvious to anyone who met him. He kept mostly to himself and rarely talked when unprompted. He liked to share stories by a campfire, armed with a cup of coffee, however. When willing to share his emotions, he would prefer the form of melodies on his harmonica rather than the one of words. But when one would directly ask him something, he would almost always answer clearly. If he didn’t know, he would say so; if the question was too personal, he would excuse himself and later explain his behaviour. And if he didn’t want to explain. Well. Usually, it was because the one to ask could find the answer by themselves. It would sometimes lead to a philosophical quote from Snufkin (who was it quoted from though, was anyone’s guess, if he even wasn’t making them up on the go).

All of this pondering led to this conclusion inside Moomintroll’s head: a book? a basket? It wasn’t weird for his friend. But openly giving a non-answer or worse: a lie? No explanation for this behaviour could make sense to Moomin. He thought... He thought he knew him better...

Finally, he exited his own thoughts to hear Little My yell at the top of her lungs: 

“Maybe the weed he smokes turned bad! And Moominpappa gave him some of his! Oh, and I know! He had a bad reaction to it and now he completely lost his mind!!”

“Little My! Shut it!” Moomin jumped back to his senses to clasp his paws against the mymble’s mouth. He worried Snufkin was still around and could hear the profanities she was spewing.

“He could hear you! And Pappa doesn’t have a weed that makes people lose their mind.”

Little My bit the palm that was covering her mouth, making Moomin withdraw his paw promptly. He frowned at her but she kept talking:

“But mayyyybe, his regular weed is for moomins only and mumriks get crazy when they smoke it!”

Moomin was about to retort, lifting a finger from one paw, while the other went to his hip. But Snorkmaiden beat him to it:

“It’s no use trying to figure it out by ourselves. There’s no way we can uncover this mystery without knowing the content of the book or the basket! Come on guys, let’s give this up and collect seashells instead!”

“Wait…” said Little My, blinking a few times. “That’s it!” she jumped. She began climbing on Sniff’s back who squeaked in distress. Standing on his shoulders, she gestured wildly.

“If Snufkin won’t tell us we can go see for ourselves and figure it all out!”

“What?!” shouted Sniff and Moomintroll. They began talking over one another.

“We can’t do that!”

“I wanted to stay at the beach!”

“He would be so mad if he found out...”

“My! Get off of me, now!”

Sniff started to quiet down when Little My jumped off of his back. But Moomintroll kept going.

“Plus, I saw him put the book in his smock, you won’t be able to check its contents, My…”

“Hah! Watch me!” she began cackling and walking away to look for Snufkin but Snorkmaiden interrupted a second time. 

“Not that I doubt you, Little My. But can we please just enjoy the weather, and have fun now that we’re at the beach?”

Little My responded by shrugging and rolling her eyes. Although, she was quick to run to the shore and start splashing around in the salty water. Snorkmaiden followed her but kept to where the sea reached just above her ankles, looking for shells hiding in the sand. Moomintroll and Sniff soon followed.

* * *

A few hours later, and the young creatures were laying on the warm sand. Seashells had been collected, games had been played and bigger worries had been almost forgotten.

But soon, the music of the harmonica was missed. As the silence dragged on, the conversation continued where it had left, although in a calmer way. Now that time had passed, most of the abnormalities from the morning didn’t seem so concerning and they were tired of arguing. But Moomintroll was missing his friend and was worried that he had previously left because they made him uncomfortable. Moomin suggested after another of My’s improbable theories:

“Well. Maybe we could go find Snufkin and tell him our concerns? Perhaps if we really are honest, he’ll understand our inquiries…”

Snorkmaiden approved of the idea but Little My interjected:

“No, you can't! We said we'd look for the book in his smock!”

“Little My. I really don't think you'd manage to pull this off without him noticing.” said Moomintroll, frowning.

“But we could look for the basket at his campsite then.” she replied.

“Or ask Moominmamma what the contents were…” added Sniff, half-paying attention.

Eyebrows flew from multiple faces.

“Why would we go ask Mamma of all people?” asked Snorkmaiden.

“Oh, didn't I tell you?” answered Sniff, who looked quite surprised. “Snufkin told me he borrowed whatever was in that basket from her earlier.”

Little My’s arms flew up in exasperation.

“Then why didn't you say so before, you big dummy?”

“Hey!!” he answered, offended by the insult. But didn't continue for a lack of any comeback. So he settled for frowning and crossing his arms, not unlike a fillyjonk scolding their child.

“You know what we should do?” finally continued Snorkmaiden. “How about you and Little My go ask Moominmamma while Moomin and I look for Snufkin?”

A few grumbles and a few blown raspberries later, they finally agreed that it was the best course of action to take. Moomin warned Little My (more like begged, because you don't order her around) to not go rummaging through anybody’s private belongings. Which she more or less agreed to, showing exasperation all over her face.

Then they parted ways, arranging a meeting back at Moominhouse when they were over with their business.

* * *

Moomin and Snorkmaiden had agreed to go seek their friend together. If he had gone fishing, he definitely had to be around still. They began to look further south, around the cave, but found themselves unlucky in the deserted area. They turned around and walked along the shore to the northern part of the bay.

Snorkmaiden was talking about flowers she had found earlier this week, but Moomin was more preoccupied with finding the right words for his apology to Snufkin. Right when Snorkmaiden started to notice her companion’s lack of attention, they noticed some movement in the distance. They approached silently.

The first thing they were able to distinguish was a fishing rod. It was left on a rock, the line secured around the pole. Snufkin was a few feet away. Not napping. But not fishing either.

The duo of little trolls came closer. Their friend was on his knees, on a stable stone, sleeves rolled up and arms deep in the water. He looked like he was wrestling with a crab or digging in the sand. Strangely enough, it looked like he had gotten rid of his scarf, since the yellow worn-out fabric was not around his neck like usual.

Moomin went to stand straighter and go greet the mumrik. But Snorkmaiden stopped him by a paw on his arm. He turned to her questioningly. Snufkin was still unaware of their presence. She motioned for Moomin to keep silent by lifting a finger to her snout with a small hushed sound.

They began creeping closer, hiding behind black rocks covered in different shells. The closer they came, the more intrigued Moomintroll became. At some point, he took notice of Snufkin’s scarf. It was farther away, spread flat over a taller rock that received a lot of sunlight. It also seemed to be covered in some white powder. It resembled snow-like tiny crystals.

Moomin frowned, still following Snorkmaiden. They got around the rock formation to position themselves behind Snufkin, as far from earshot as possible while keeping him in sight. When they were sure they were far enough, Snorkmaiden murmured:

“Should we go ask him about earlier, now that we found him?”

“Well…” Moomintroll began. “I wonder what he’s doing. He said he was going fishing, but he’s not!”

“Do you think we could watch a bit?” Snorkmaiden wrung her paws, shy of her own question.

Moomin looked just as apologetic. “Maybe a little? Then we can go tell him we’re going home.”

Just then, they heard a loud splashing noise. Both of them peeked over the rocks they were hiding behind to watch the source of it. It was the mumrik, who had finished wrestling with whatever was underwater. He got to his feet and turned around. 

Now that he was facing towards them, Moomin and Snorkmaiden at the same time realized that the strange white powder was in fact harvested sea salt. Indeed, Snufkin was covered in it where he had touched the rocks. It made his trousers, sleeves and the hem of his smock slightly white.

He also had water dripping on his uncovered arms. It probably had to do with the bouquet of seaweed he had collected in one paw, while the other carried a sharp stone. He must have used it to cut the plants. He left his tool on the ground and walked to his scarf, picked it up with the salt still in it. Moomin and his partner in crime looked at each other in confusion then back at him. He had collected his unused fishing gear and was already retreating through the woods.

Snorkmaiden was the first to react. She lifted her paws in midair, palms up and whispered:

“What was _that_?”


	4. A Strange Recipe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What on Earth is this strange recipe? What does it make? Who can they ask for help? Find out in this chapter!

Not too far from there, Sniff and Little My were strolling in the woods, coming nearer to Moominhouse. They were debating on how to ask Moominmamma about the basket. While Sniff prefered a cautious approach, afraid of any negative repercussions, Little My would have none of it. And when they reached the bridge, she sprinted to the porch, and before the other could catch up, had found the gentle moomin.

“Mamma, Moominmamma!” she yelled, the second she spotted her on the sofa before the windowsill.

“Yes, Little My?” she answered without looking up from the embroidery in her lap.

At this point, they both heard Sniff rushing in with a slam of the front door. Little My spoke even quicker.

“I-was-wondering-what-Snufkin-asked-of-you-this-morning!”

Sniff appeared in the room, panting, his paws on his knees, and glaring at Little My after hearing her.

Moominmamma eyed them both, her work forgotten. For some reason, she felt like her next answer had to be very diplomatically chosen. Especially after a moment, when Little My, with pleading eyes added:

“It’s really important…”

Moominmamma felt quite confused but responded slowly:

“Why, Little My… If you have a question about your friend, you should ask him first. Don't you think?”

She rolled her eyes and Sniff crossed his arms. He said:

“We did! But he was very secretive about it and wouldn't answer…”

_Oh my, I wonder what's gotten into him…_

Moominmamma thought to herself. She pondered a moment about how to answer the children… She felt bad revealing something the mumrik wanted at least partially hidden. But such behaviour could lead to a lot of problems. And she didn't think that whatever Snufkin had needed was such a bizarre thing. She answered eventually, although a bit hesitantly.

“I'm sorry, my dears. I don't know why he wouldn't tell you… I'm going to share it with you, but you have to promise me to talk to him about it eventually, alright?”

The both of them nodded repeatedly, making Moominmamma smile gently. She waited for a moment.

“You know, maybe he just wants to try cooking something new. I don't know why else he would need some lemons…”

“Lemons??” the children replied at the same time in a shout.

“Wait. How many? Two slices? In a big basket like that?” added Little My.

“Oh no, no. He borrowed a couple of whole lemons. This is why I think he’s trying new recipes. Otherwise, I don't know why he needs so many.”

Silence then filled the room. Nothing was making any sort of sense. Why lie about boring lemons? But also why two whole things… Sniff shifted his weight from one foot to another, wringing his paws.

“W-well… Thanks a lot, Moominmamma. I think we better talk to him as you said.”

“This is ridiculous…” murmured Little My.

They waved their goodbyes and headed outside. Both of them stopped at the porch and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Moominmamma started again with her embroidery. But she quickly realized that her looping thoughts wouldn't let her concentrate. So instead she went upstairs and knocked on the door to Moominpappa’s study.

“Dear? Sorry to disturb you in your writing. Something is on my mind…”

* * *

After debating for a while, Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden made their way back to Moominhouse. They had decided to rejoin with Sniff and Little My to share what they saw and have their opinion. They also hoped to cross Snufkin’s path as well but they didn't see him on their way home.

However, when they reached the familiar sight of the bridge before the house, they were surprised to see the mymble and Sniff come from the woods instead of the front door. They waved their way to get their attention.

“Hey everyone!” greeted Snorkmaiden “You'll never guess what we saw!”

“Well, _you_ 'll never guess what we learnt!” My answered.

“What? Did Mamma tell you what she gave Snufkin?” asked Moomintroll, eyes wide with questions.

And with that, both parties shared their discoveries. Worry started to build once again, when Sniff and Little My told the others that after they left the house, they looked around the woods for their missing friend. But couldn't find him. Moomin started to panic a little (somehow he was convinced he had offended his best friend into leaving early for his yearly travel).

But Snorkmaiden put a gentle paw on his arm and said carefully.

“Calm down, Moomin. We'll find him later. He can't have gone too far, without his tent (which was still by the river). We should start by listing what we know that could be useful to understand what is going on with Snufkin.”

“Well, there’s the book to begin with. No story, or that’s what he said.” began Sniff.

“Then a basket full of lemons.” added Little My, crossing her arms.

“And a bunch of seaweeds and a lot of salt…” Snorkmaiden pondered.

They all went silent for a few seconds, trying to find a logic or a pattern. Sniff asked timidly:

“Do you think he’s actually trying to cook something?”

“Don't be silly, Sniff!” snapped Little My. “Who on Earth would cook lemons with seaweed?”

Sniff actually frowned at this. He was a bit tired of the mymble, always calling him silly. He replied angrily.

“Well _I_ know some Hemulens that do! And Too-Ticky probably does too, and definitely Alicia and her grandmother!”

There again they started to argue loudly. But Moomintroll stared, wide-eyed, in the space between them, something Sniff had said made something click in his mind. Snorkmaiden had started trying to separate the other two before Little My began biting, when Moomintroll raised his voice just above a whisper.

“Would it… Would it be possible?”

“What?” asked Snorkmaiden. The three children stared at Moomintroll in mid-argument. Almost daring him to try and calm them.

Moomin waited until he chose his next words as carefully as possible, and asked, eyes on the ground.

“You said the Witch could be using those as ingredients… But what about using them for witchcraft? Do you… Do you think Snufkin could actually be a witch and is brewing a potion or something?”

A second passed.

Then a few more...

And the silence was only broken by a snort made by Little My. 

“What are you talking about, Moomin? Snufkin is not a witch.”

“W-well, how would you know? Didn't Alicia say that it was possible for anybody to be a witch as long as a member of their family was one?”

“Yes.” she answered slowly, frowning a tad more. “And his family doesn't have witches.”

Snorkmaiden raised a finger. “You're saying that because you're part of his family on his mother side, Little My. But what about the Joxter? Moominpappa made him sound like a wizard at times…”

No one had anything to reply to that. Until Sniff murmured, shaking like a leaf.

“Maybe we can ask Moominpappa if the Joxter was a witch?”

Moomin shook his head.

“No, this is going to take too long. Maybe we should go ask Alicia if the ingredients seem familiar? That way we would know the possible effects of the potion, if it really is one…”

He hated the sheer possibility to be right on this guess. Because if Snufkin really was a witch, it meant he felt the need to keep it a secret from all of them. Somehow this hurt more than the idea of a potion with possibly dangerous properties. But at this point, he wasn't in denial anymore. Something was definitely going on with his best friend and Snufkin wouldn't tell anybody.

Moomin got out of his thoughts to hear Snorkmaiden and Sniff making a deal to go together ask Moominpappa anyway about the Joxter. Sniff, because he was still scared of the Witch but also of the forest when it was getting late. And Snorkmaiden because she wouldn't fall asleep while Pappa recounted his youth with Joxter, unlike the other one.

Little My agreed to go with Moomin fetch Alicia. And the two groups parted ways.

A few miles from there, a young fellow wearing green could be seen digging the ground to gather different weird-looking roots. The creeps around would hide to watch him curiously and they'd wonder what on Earth he was doing.

* * *

It already was the middle of the afternoon, so Little My and Moomin walked as hurriedly as they could. The trek to the Forest of Witches was a couple of hours long after all.

The walk itself was silent for the most part, the two of them too lost in their thoughts and not bothering to enunciate them for they knew the other was thinking the same, and couldn't provide an answer of any sort. The silence was only broken by yet another yelp made by Moomin, as it was the fourth time he tripped over a root. This time was a bit more strong and Little My was walking in front and reflexively pushed against his knees to keep him upward. He regained his balance quickly and mumbled a shy “Sorry…” to which Little My frowned but replied “Don't mention it.” anyway.

A few feet later, she spoke up again.

“Hey, Moomin… What are you thinking about?”

“A lot of different things. Mostly I'm worried about Snufkin.” he replied shyly.

She snorted back. “Of course you are.”

“Well, what are you thinking about, Little My?”

“Ah…” she put a fist to her chin, still walking but a bit slower. “I mean, I'm a bit worried too. But I'm mostly concerned about what a potion made of lemons, seaweeds and salt can do. That’s a lot of bitter and sour stuff…”

“If that really is for a potion!” Moomin interjected. “Besides, Snufkin wouldn't brew an ill-meaning potion or something, right?”

“Well, not to most of Moominvalley, he wouldn't. But he was rather cross at the Park Keeper, last time I saw them… interacting.”

“The Park Keeper?” asked Moomintroll, a bit incredulous, as he was not aware this was an adventure the mumrik and the mymble had had. “What did he do to the Park Keeper?”

Little My dead-panned.

“Oh, it was funny to me… But you wouldn't like to know, Moomintroll.”

The serious tone she used stopped the troll from asking more questions.

They kept talking for a little while, but picked up the pace again once it was clear none of their thoughts could lead to them turning back. Luck was on their side too, because upon approaching the Witch’s domain, which is to say: her garden, they saw Alicia picking up some firewood. Moomin trotted up to her while calling.

“Hi, Alicia!”

She turned to them, smiling.

“Hello, Moomin! And hello to you too, Little My!” 

They greeted each other with a quick hug. When they separated, the young witch frowned and looked at both of them.

“Are you two alright? I can feel you're agitated a bit…”

“Agitated is an understatement for some of us!” answered Little My, crossing her arms and smirking Moomin’s way. Alicia turned to him as well. He added:

“Well, we were in fact looking for you. Because we may have encountered a witch problem, today…”

“Oh, really?” Her eyes widening but quickly narrowing to a squint. “Did my grandmother cast a spell on the valley again?”

Moomin could almost see steam coming out of Alicia’s ears. He waved both his paws back and forth to stop her.

“No, no, she didn't! It’s just… um…”

He glanced behind him towards the trees. Alicia tilted her head to look too. She saw nothing.

“Would you prefer talking about it inside? My grandmother won't mind.”

“Yes, please.” He answered, wringing his paws together.

* * *

After being offered a cup of tea, which Moomin politely refused, but Little My obliged, the two started sharing their day to the young witch, alternating between point of views. She kept silent through it all, but they were quick in their recollection. At the end of their story, she quietly set her cup down in its saucer and spoke.

“Well, guys, I understand you're worried… I personally don't know if Snufkin is a witch, like us. He never performed any spell in front of me at the very least. But if he is, you shouldn't be worried! You know not all witches are bad, right?”

She looked a bit hurt but Little My quickly piped up.

“We're not worried because of what he could be, we're worried about what he could do! Do you have any idea what a spell or potion would do if it was made out of lemons, sea salt and seaweed?”

“I'm not sure… I can ask Grandma if you want?”

“Please, do!” answered Moomintroll, jumping from his seat. At least he didn't have any tea to spill from the motion.

Quickly, the Witch was informed and she started looking through her numerous magic books.

“You don't know all of your spells by heart? That’s boring!” grumbled Little My.

“Patience, young one!” she scolded. “I am getting old and I can't know every combination of ingredients and their effects in a mix.”

Little My kept grumbling but didn't interrupt more. Moomin was pacing, unable to settle himself and fidgeting with the fur on his fingers. Finally, the Witch addressed them again.

“Well, children. Looking for the exact potion would take days… But I can tell you the usual properties of these ingredients.”

“Oh, that would be great, Grandma!” exclaimed Alicia.

“So…" she began. "It seems most of them are linked to protection spells. They all offer either purifying or safety effects. Combined, they could certainly create a basic yet effective repel against an evil spirit or something else…

“An evil spirit?” exclaimed Alicia “There’s an evil spirit in Moominvalley?”

The Witch shook her head from left to right. “I doubt it, I would know, or at least sense it…”

She seemed to hesitate before she kept going.

“Some of them also have cursing effects. You see, there is no such thing as dark magic, but depending on a witch’s will, ingredients in a potion can be used for good as well as for evil…”

Moomin looked at her with wide-eyes.

“What kind… What kind of curse could those ingredients make?”

The Witch waited again before answering. She seemed... worried, somehow.

“It is vaguer, but they could create a storm or curse a desired one or maybe attract an evil spirit.”

“Would you sense such a spirit, Grandma?”

“Not if it was attracted from outside my magical territory.”

“I see…” whispered Little My. She began muttering to herself, trying to piece together this new-found information, in a very out-of-character silent manner.

Moomintroll was fretting twice as much than before. He exclaimed “Oh dear, we’ve got to go back and stop him! What if something very bad happens? Should we get Pappa and Mamma to help us? But we don’t have time!”

Alicia was in the middle of them, shifting her attention back and forth between the two. Finally deciding on what she should do, she put a paw on each of their shoulders, getting them to stand still.

“Let me help, you guys. I’ll come back with you to Moominhouse, and I’ll ask him, alright? I doubt he would hide something to a fellow witch!” she smiled encouragingly.”

Quickly, the three of them were out the door. Before closing it, Alicia shot a questioning half-smile to her grandmother, who answered with a serious look in her eyes and a nod, which meant “Be careful”.


	5. Let's (S)talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to confront Snufkin for Moomin and his friends! If he's really making an evil potion, he should be stopped, right?

By the time everyone was back to Moominhouse, the sun had just set behind the horizon. Moominmamma was busying herself by making snacks and tea for everyone. The ‘everyone’ included her son and her husband, but also Sniff, Snorkmaiden, Little My and Alicia. After the initial chaos that ensued after all the friends had reunited, she had done her best to calm them down and make them explain slowly and patiently.

After all, the whole ordeal revolved around the valley’s favourite vagabond. And he had yet to return from wherever he was, back to his tent, which still sat abandoned on the other side of the wooden bridge.

She began paying more attention to the children’s voices when she heard the sweet young witch, Alicia, talk about spells and magic. Moominmamma frowned to herself. At first, she hadn’t thought much of the young ones' hijinks, but after listening to Pappa’s recollection of his youth with the Joxter… She had to admit that some details sounded a lot like witchcraft.

In fact, Moominpappa was just repeating what he had told Sniff and Snorkmaiden earlier, but now to all the others, in the drawing room. That was just when Mamma decided to come back with them, armed with a tray full of cups of tea. Once everyone had theirs, she suggested lightly.

“Maybe you should consider asking Snufkin directly, dears.”

Although she heard Little My’s grumble of “Like he would be truthful”, she didn’t acknowledge it. The others looked sheepishly to their feet, except Alicia who provided backup.

“Come on, guys! I can even come with you if you want, when he comes back that is…”

“Well that’s going to be easy,” Sniff cut in, “Isn’t that him, coming out of the woods?”

And then, everybody turned their heads to the nearest window, Little My even stood and walked away to climb on a chair to access the windowsill.

Indeed, Snufkin was coming towards Moominhouse. He was holding the same basket as earlier but was holding it with both hands, as if too heavy. He might have filled it with more than just lemons in the meantime. The mumrik stopped at his campsite and disposed the basket outside before going inside his tent.

Moomintroll remembered just then how to breathe and took a sharp inhale. He gestured to My.

“Come back Little My, he’s going to see you!”

She frowned back at him.

“Yeah, well, how do you suggest we approach him to see if he’s making a potion?”

“We can always go out and watch from afar for a bit?” suggested Sniff, whose bravery was enhanced by curiosity but was still mostly scared.

“I want to go too!” Snorkmaiden threw in.

Within a second, all the children were out the door. Moominpappa went to follow them. Was it from the call of adventure or to make sure everyone stayed safe, Moominmamma wasn’t sure. But he was called back by her.

“Let them sort this out by themselves, dear. If you want to, you can maybe check from the window if nothing is going wrong. But I have no doubt they can resolve this safely.”

Moominpappa first looked taken aback but then settled his surprise to a gentle smile and an understanding nod, and went back to the table to read while drinking his cup of chamomile.

* * *

Sneaking into the garden, from the lilac to the jasmine bushes, Moomintroll couldn’t help panicking in his head, thinking of all the possibilities for everything to go wrong. Maybe they would get caught, maybe Snufkin would be very upset and cast a spell on them and never come back and, and- Snorkmaiden put a soft paw on his arm. He turned to her and she quietly told him to calm down. The troll looked away, knowing full well that he should, but he really couldn’t.

Finally, they came near the woodshed, where they were hidden from view, but could peek from time to time. The children crouched uncomfortably for a while behind the wooden walls. They didn’t dare say a thing, not even Little My. All the while, Snufkin was still in his tent with so little light inside that his shadow was barely seen.

It took so long for him to come out that in the meantime, Sniff had had the time to take a nap and Little My, to complain about something at least ten times. Moomin and Snorkmaiden were drawing in the soil when Alicia took a sharp gasp-like inhale. They waited, holding their breath, until she motioned for them to stay close to the walls (which they did, scrambling).

Their friend came out of his tent with his backpack in one hand. He set it down near a log and began sorting everything he needed to make a small fire. When it was started, he put a cooking pot filled with water on top of it and began to prepare dinner. The bystanders didn’t dare move and draw attention to them.

Seconds became minutes and minutes seemed to last hours until Snufkin ate his dinner and stood, his back to his friends to wash his few dishes into the river. Sniff took it as his cue to stand straighter and hiss to the others:

“This is ridiculous! I want to eat dinner too and it’s not fun anymore! We’re just sitting around, doing nothing, and he’s not doing anything either, so I’m going to talk to him myself!”

Moomintroll stood immediately.

“You can’t do that! He’s going to be sad that we spied on him!”

“And it wasn’t supposed to be fun, to begin with.” added Little My.

“Hush! All of you!” cut in Snorkmaiden suddenly. Alicia and the young snork were peering from behind the woodshed.

Everyone quieted and watched intently.

* * *

Snufkin had had a busy afternoon. He was impatient for a day to begin anew, but first, he had a few things to get done. He brought back the cooking pot he had cleaned, after he had filled it with water again. Going back to his tent, he brought out the seaweed and sea salt he had collected at the beach, then the different flowers and roots he was able to gather from later in the afternoon. Then finally, he took Moominmamma’s basket with the lemons inside. He smiled looking at it. If it wasn’t for the gentle mother, his plan would not have been possible…

Disposing all the ingredients neatly near the fire, he opened the book he had secured all day in his smock pocket. He read the page that had caught his interest once more. Then the mumrik began carefully putting the ingredients in order in his pot…

Snufkin, unfortunately, dropped some salt on the grass, since pouring it from his scarf revealed itself to be a little tricky. He stirred the mixture with a big wooden spoon and mumbled to himself.

“I hope this is going to work…”

* * *

Little My gripped the sleeve of Alicia’s dress and hissed:

“What did he say just now? Was it an enchantment?”

“I, huh, I don’t know Little My… I couldn’t listen clearly, and every witch has a different phrase to cast a spell.”

Meanwhile, Moomintroll was back at fretting and grabbing his tail in worry, muttering “Oh dear” over and over again. Snorkmaiden was too concentrated on what was going on to keep calming him.

Snufkin put the pot containing the weird mixture out of the fire and added some cold water from the stream. He sat on his knees in front of it, gripping the rim.

“Oh I can’t take this anymore!” whimpered Sniff.

“Yeah! He better explain what he’s doing! C’mon, let’s ambush him!”

“Nooo, don’t do this Little My!”

“You can’t stop me, you great oaf!”

“He’s going to see you! He’ll curse you!”

“By the Booble, guys! He’s not evil, he’ll never-”

Suddenly, something truly unexpected happened. The moon seemed to shine brighter, the world to quiet down, like the moment was the peak between day and night.

Snufkin looked around his surroundings. Was someone watching him..? No, he shouldn’t get distracted. He didn’t have all night.

He looked at the brightly illuminated sky, taking his hat off.

He took a long breath.

  
  
  


And dunked his whole head into the mixture.

* * *

Everything happened so fast. Snorkmaiden cried out in surprise. Everyone else yelped in reaction. The loud noise made Snufkin jump and open his mouth to make a surprised noise. But from his position, still hunched and submerged head, he began choking on the soup-like liquid. He raised his head too fast though, and banged his skull loudly against the inside of his pot. He finally managed to catch his breath, head out of the pot, hissing in pain and holding his forehead with both hands. 

The mumrik looked pretty miserable at this moment, hair plastered to his head and covering the front of his face; the weird potion, soup, mixture or whatever it was, dripping from his hair to his shoulders and back. He tried wiping at his eyes to see what had startled him, still holding his forehead. However, he found he couldn’t because of the amount of liquid already on his sleeves. Snufkin also began to realize his eyes were beginning to sting from the lemon and salt, but he didn’t have time to ponder more because he was knocked down to his side, elbow planted in the soil. The force that had pushed him began shaking him by the shoulders and yelling in a voice very similar to Little My’s:

“Explain yourself right now, Snufkin! What are you doing? Why are you making a potion! Why did you dive into it??”

“M- Little My?” he mumbled back, getting dizzy on top of everything else.

He still couldn’t see clearly but he thought he heard stomping footsteps behind him, then some other voices that belonged to his friends. And Alicia?

“Oh dear! Little My, what is your problem?”

“ _ He _ ’s my problem! Answer right this instant, Snufkin!”

“Knock it off, My! Let him breathe at least!”

Ah. This last one was Moomin’s voice for sure. He felt the mymble’s tiny paws leave him at last. Snufkin carefully tried to wipe his face again. But seeing he was having trouble, Alicia stepped in.

“Wait, let me help.”

Snufkin didn’t answer but stopped scrubbing at his face. He felt a soft fabric brush against the back of his paw. A handkerchief? He took it gingerly.

“Thank you, Alicia.” he sounded a bit uncertain.

When most of his face, mainly his eyes, were cleared, he was at last able to take in the whole scene. Snufkin first noticed how drenched he actually was, which already made him frown. Then, kneeling next to him were Alicia and Moomintroll, the latter looking extremely anxious. Little My was standing between them, tapping her foot and looking so very crossed at him. In the background, Sniff was cowering behind the shed and covering his eyes while Snorkmaiden was trying to comfort him.

Snufkin frowned even more.

“Alright. Can someone explain what is going on?”

Everyone shared a silent moment as a form of answer, trading weird looks at each other. Finally, Snufkin had enough and stood up. He instantly began shivering in the cool air, drenched as he was. But it didn't stop him from glaring and crossing his arms.

“Well?” he asked impatiently.

After a second, Alicia spoke up. She seemed the less guilty-looking, if you didn't count Little My, who never looked guilty.

“Hm, sooo… I think? We owe you an apology?”

He raised an eyebrow. 

“You don't seem convinced.”

“Oh! Oh well, uh, at least we're sorry for scaring you.” Snorkmaiden rushed in.

“And about the bruise on your head and an incoming cold!” added Little My, half-snickering.

Snufkin turned to her, scowling and reaching up to his forehead again. Yep, there was an incoming bump alright. He sighed.

“Can you at the very least explain what all of you were doing behind the shed like that?”

The mymble grinned again.

“We were spying on you!”

All annoyance in Snufkin was replaced by tiredness as he slowly ran his paw down his face, deflating.

“Can I at least know why?"

He turned to Moomintroll who had barely said a word. His friend avoided his gaze as he fiddled with the end of his tail and said with a wobbling voice:

“It’s my fault, Snufkin, I'm very sorry…” He glanced up at him and back at the ground again. “We thought you were a witch and that you were trying to curse Moominvalley by making a potion.” By the time he had blurted out his sentence, he was practically whispering.

Snufkin stood dumbfounded until Moomin looked up at him, worried about angering him. The mumrik was unreadable except for the sheer surprise that was written all over his features. He dropped his arms to his sides and looked at Alicia questioningly.

“Why didn't you tell them I was not like you?”

A blush spread to her cheeks as she mumbled.

“I was not certain you were not a witch at all. And Little My and Moomin told me you were up to weird things and we had to ask Grandma about-”

“You dragged the Witch into this?” he cringed.

“Well, you wouldn't answer our questions, you secretive weirdo!” Little My frowned.

Snufkin paused at that, then dropped to the floor, sighing.

“If I had known you lot would react this way I would have explained earlier…” He motioned for the area of his campsite nearest to the fire he made. “Come on, I'll explain everything but I would prefer near the campfire. I'm freezing already.”

Snorkmaiden looked shocked at the idea of staying dirty and covered in wet odd soup-thing and was the first to move towards him. At least to help make one of his conditions disappear so he looked less miserable. The others followed suit. Snufkin talked louder without turning.

“You can come too, Sniff. I won't curse you as I have no power whatsoever.”

They only heard a mumbled “Haha, I knew that of course…” before he joined them.

From behind a window of Moominhouse, Moominmamma smiled gently and turned away to begin making supper for them all.


	6. Sticky Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we arrive at the epilogue and finally, an explanation. Happy Autumn!

They went to the small campfire and stayed a few minutes like that, waiting for Snufkin to look at least a little less cold. When he had stopped shivering, he sighed.

“Let’s make a deal, alright? I tell you guys what I was making and in return, you tell me why you thought I was brewing… What was it? A potion? Cards on the table, you see.”

“It sounds an awful lot like making a deal with a witch, Snufkin.” noted Snorkmaiden.

“You shouldn't be so paranoid, you know? I don't even know any witch that actually makes deals like that.” said Alicia, frowning.

Moomintroll wondered why was his friend asking for an explanation in such a way. He looked questioningly at him. The mumrik answered by sheepishly turning his look to the ground.

“It’s just a little embarrassing for me.” He took a deep breath. “Two days ago, I was napping against a tree but I didn't realize its bark was covered in sap at the time.”

“How did you notice?” Sniff asked.

Snufkin answered with a crooked smile. “Well it was especially sticky when it had dropped on my head after a couple of hours and when I tried to put my hat back on…”

Snorkmaiden couldn't contain her 'ewww' of disgust before he continued.

“So I borrowed a book from Mrs. Fillyjonk with a recipe for a hair cleaning bath…”

Little My broke into hysterics.

“You're telling _us_ you actually went and asked Mrs. Fillyjonk of all creatures for help? I don't buy it! I bet you broke into her living room and stole the book!”

His silence was answer enough and the mymble doubled over, laughing harder.

“You-You actually went to her place, to ta-to talk about make-up routines? And you managed to stay sane? Ahaha! I can’t believe it!” Tears were streaming down her face out of hysterical laughter.

The mumrik sighed quietly to himself. “This is why I didn't want to explain right away…”

Moomintroll caught it despite the low volume and put a paw on his shoulder in sympathy.

“It’s just Little My, don't mind her.”

His friend nodded and kept going, hair hanging in front of his face.

“Well, anyway, uh… After leaving her place, I noticed that the wind was carrying a nice weather for today, and that I could use that to get rid of the sap. Without getting a cold that is.” He added as an afterthought, smiling sarcastically. Snorkmaiden piped up.

“Say, Snufkin… I’m surprised you would care about hair care at all. Sap story or not.” she chuckled.

“Ah, well… You’re right, I don’t care much, but a sticky head can become nightmare-ish.” He rolled his eyes. “Besides, I can only put up with Mrs. Fillyjonk’s nagging so much, so I had to do something before the end of autumn.”

He waited a moment and Moomin took the opportunity to share his thoughts.

“So, this is why you said the book had no story… It was Mrs. Fillyjonk’s book, wasn't it? You weren’t lying.”

Snufkin gazed at him, eyes hidden in the shadow that cast the fire, without saying anything.

“So, why did you need so many lemons then, Snufkin?” wondered Sniff.

He sighed in answer, it seemed he was going to do this a lot this evening.

“Well, it simply was in the recipe… Lemon and salt have great cleaning properties. This is also why asked some to Moominmamma: I knew from the cleanliness of Moominhouse that she might knew of this trick and wouldn't mind sparing some. But I guess she didn't, considering this whole misunderstanding.”

Little My, who was the one to insist on asking Moominmamma for answers, had at least the decency to quiet her laughter to a few snickers once in a while.

Moomin, for his part, was too confused at his best friend, talking hair care and cleanliness, to do much else than stare bug-eyed and open-mouthed at him.

“And the seaweed?” asked Snorkmaiden.

Snufkin was getting tired of the questioning, and simply waved a paw and replied:

“Again, I followed the recipe…”

Silence fell among the group of friends. Each and every one of them piecing together all these little informations in neet strings in their head.

So, this was why he collected seaweed instead of fish at the beach. This was why he needed so much salt that he had to carry it in his scarf. This is also why he was nowhere to be seen during the rest of the afternoon and why he had needed so many lemons…

But something didn’t add up for a certain white little troll. He murmured, looking at his paws on his lap.

“But… Why would you hide it from us?” He was met with silent confusion and added. “I get that you need your time alone, we all do!” Little My made a so-so motion with one paw. “But you… You kind of lied to us and avoided us all day. Did we..? Did I do something wrong?”

He had barely finished his sentence that Snufkin had already stood up and was waving frantically his paws back and forth his way. From there, Moomin could see under the shade of his auburn locks, that his eyes were filled with panic and guilt.

“No-no-no, Moomintroll. You did nothing wrong! None of you did, either.” he gestured to all their friends. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. That I was avoiding you, I mean… Urh.” He sighed once more, massaging his forehead. “This is nonsense…”

He sat down again, hiding his expressions by tilting his head downward. He ruffled his wet and sticky hair back, saving time.

“Huh, well Little My proved it.” He half-smiled at her. “This is ridiculous for someone like me to care for such small things, about appearances and such. And it’s not what this is about! As I said, it’s more practical than anything.” He took a breath. “Alright, I’ll admit. I was a bit afraid that it was what you guys would assume. Also, uh, I have actually no idea what I’m doing. I followed the recipe but I never actually used a hair treatment. And I didn’t want to ask or to be mocked because of it.” He finished, rubbing the back of his neck.

“...”

“... You impossible anxious nitwit.” began Little My. Snufkin’s head shot back up. She continued: “We wouldn’t make fun of you _that_ hard. And you've never been stopped by what others said before!”

He hung his head lower as a form of reply. Snorkmaiden took a gentle voice.

“I think what Little My is trying to say is that… We were a bit concerned and worried about you. You were more evasive and secretive than usual, and the issue would have been addressed sooner if you had just asked for help in the first place.”

Snufkin sighed. “I know…”

Moomin and Snorkmaiden exchanged a glance. She spoke up again.

“Well, do you need help right now?”

Seeing he was oblivious at what she meant, Moomintroll added.

“I'm sorry to say, Snuff. But I doubt you actually know how to use shampoo right. Snorkmaiden knows way more, and as an apology, we could help you use it correctly?”

It was a rare sight, but when Snufkin looked up, a faint blush could be seen dusting his cheeks. He shyly answered with a nod.

“That would be nice.”

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent peacefully. Alicia was picked up by the Witch on her broom. Her granddaughter promised some explanations, but back at the cottage as to not embarrass Snufkin any further.

Sniff went back to his place to eat dinner, since the fright was over and that his help was unnecessary. Little My’s assistance was too but she stuck with the other three to make fun of Snufkin a bit more.

Then, with Snorkmaiden’s help, the lotion was mixed in a more homogeneous way. She and Moomin helped the mumrik submerge the top of his head without having his face covered in the mixture. While she took care of lathering up the concoction on top of Snufkin’s head, Moomintroll suggested he helped him get the rest of his face cleaned off. But although his best friend had been too embarrassed at being fussed over -he was still quite red on the face- he actually spoke up against it. Mainly because of his sore forehead. He did accept a clean tissue to try and get most of it off.

Snufkin said almost nothing through the whole thing, but Snorkmaiden could feel him flinching from time to time under the too-close touches. She tried twice as hard to be comforting and gentle. 

The moment she judged her work done coincided with when Snufkin let out a sneeze, almost hurting himself on the rim of his pot once again. Moomin helped him stand up while Little My, who had finally stopped cackling, came back from inside the mumrik’s tent with his hat in her arms.

He took it shyly, uttering a small “Thank you, Little My” before placing it where it belonged.

No one thought to mention that said article of clothing was probably still stained with leftover sap. And if anyone did, the pathetic look on Snufkin’s face was enough to back off.

Finally, he took a deep breath and regained most of his composure. In a still small voice he spoke:

“Thank you all for helping me with that… thing.” He was interrupted by another sneeze. “Next time, I'll try and remember that I can ask for assistance… Same as you guys can try and ask before making assumptions.” He offered a gentle smile along with his smug comment. “What was it again you thought I was making? A spell?”

“No!” Little My piped up. “They thought you were making a potion!”

“You thought so yourself, Little My.” Snorkmaiden argued.

Snufkin chuckled at their squabble, but quickly interrupted.

“Well, either way, I hope you realize it was not a potion, and that I have no powers whatsoever.”

The other three nodded.

“May I ask who you involved besides Alicia and the Witch?”

Moomin answered that only Moominmamma and Moominpappa had been in the secret.

Snufkin nodded slightly.

* * *

Later on, Moomintroll, Snorkmaiden and Little My left to finally eat their dinner and rest for the night. After all this unnecessary fright, they all fell asleep as their heads hit the pillows.

But someone in the valley was still restless. Someone with no longer sticky hair, but still quite wet head. Snufkin left his tent and went to have a walk in the woods under the moonlight. He didn't bring his tent, or his rod or even his harmonica. He also didn't need a lantern thanks to his sight, which was more enhanced during the night than most creatures. He walked without bigger purpose than just enjoy the cool night air.

Snufkin came to a stop when he sensed a gaze on him. He didn't look for its owner, for he knew he wouldn't find them. Instead, he spoke, no louder than a murmur.

“Unusual seeing you around at this hour.”

A hum of acknowledgement was heard above the mumrik’s head. He still didn’t look around. Instead, he chose a log in the grass to rest his head against and laid down on the ground like that for quite a while.

After a moment the mumrik spoke again.

“What do you want anyway? Don’t you have fruits to steal or signs to burn?”

The smooth and deeper voice answered as quietly as him.

“Do I need a better excuse than wanting to see you or a friend I travelled with in my youth?”

Snufkin scowled.

“Really, Joxter. What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re worried about the little misunderstanding I had with Moomintroll and the others…”

“Well… I was just wondering…” The other mumrik paused to get off the branch he was resting on, high up in a nearby tree. He landing close, just in Snufkin’s peripheral vision. “The reason why you said you were not a witch.”

The addressed one chuckled lightly. “I don’t think I am, that’s why. Unless there’s something else I should know about my heritage..?”

The Joxter crossed his arms. “You do have magic to some extent, though. Not from your mother, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, well. I don't exactly think talking to birds and vague premonitions compare to cursing a whole valley. I’d hate it if they came to compare me to evil witches.”

The older mumrik narrowed his eyes slightly. “I can understand that. Even if you count your musical abilities. But I’m still surprised you’d blatantly lie to your friends and best friend like that.”

“Ah, you see…” Snufkin stood up, coming face to face with his parent. “I just wouldn’t like to be a book judged by its cover. What about you, Joxter?”

And without a glance behind him, Snufkin strolled off back to his tent, back to the ones who didn’t judge him, back to having a nice end of autumn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the end of this short story. I hope you liked reading it! If you want to know when I post something new, Moomins-related or not, you can follow me on tumblr to considermeharmless.tumblr.com!
> 
> A little explanation about the epilogue and the exchange between Snufkin and Joxter. This is totally a head-canons galore on my part but... I like the idea of mumriks having small magical skills. For this story at least, Snufkin can talk to birds and has an unnatural talent for music on top of the Forebodings and night-vision. These seem to be a constant head-canons for both of them in this fandom ;) But they are nowhere near witches. Also also, I'm one of the rare(?) people who imagine Joxter being neither a good or bad parent but still. His relation with Snufkin is strained in this story. So I guess I'm sorry if this is an unusual take XD
> 
> Anyway. I wish you all a good night, don't catch a cold and don't make shampoo with salt-dear-gods-I-forgot!!! DON'T follow that recipe for disaster XD I doubt it'll make anything soapy so please don't! This is just a bad idea!
> 
> This is so silly XD
> 
> See you all around! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Only 2 public works and I'm already posting something I'm not confident about XD Anyway uh, this has been sitting in my computer for more than a year, and it seemed good at first but less and less so as time went on. But I thought: to hell with it! And decided to post it anyway. Sooo I guess prove me wrong if you think it's nice? XD Oh, and please remember that I'm not an English-speaker! I'd love any correction if you have some to offer though ^^
> 
> Take care <3


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